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Whether you have indoor plants that sit too far from windows to receive all the sunlight they need to grow and thrive, or simply want to provide your plants with additional light during the dark winter months, you can create your own LED grow light system from strands of Christmas lights. Once you understand the basics, you can decide how best to use Christmas lights to aid the growth of your plants.

LED Basics

While you're probably familiar with incandescent and fluorescent lighting, both of which have been around for decades, you may not be as familiar with LED lights. LED stands for light-emitting diode and simply describes a system that combines electricity with semi-conductor devices to produce light. Unlike other forms of lighting, LED lights emit light only; the heat produced is absorbed into a heat sink. While you can certainly use them to provide your plants with additional light, do not depend upon them to raise the temperature or provide warmth to your greenery.

Christmas Light Choices

When you think of Christmas lights, you may picture the strands of blinking, multi-colored lights that often adorn holiday trees and houses during the month of December. While they're pretty to look at and add a festive touch, they aren't the best choice for grow lights. Ensure that the lights glow solidly and don't flash. Select from lengths of lights that have as few as 25 bulbs per strand to longer ones that contain as many as 150, depending on the type of setup in which you plan to use them. LED Luxor notes that research indicates plants absorb the most chlorophyll when exposed to red and blue lighting; blue light, says the Urban Organic Gardener, encourages bushy growth, while red light encourages blooming. You may wish to stick to white LEDs if it seems too complicated figuring out which wavelength is best for you.

Benefits of LED Grow Lights

Using LED grow lights, even those made from Christmas lights, provide multiple benefits to the home gardener. First and foremost, LED lights provide a substantial cost savings to operate over other types of light. You can string as many into a grow light system as you want and know that you're receiving value for money. LED lights also last longer, meaning that once you've create a grow light system, you won't have to mess with frequently replacing bulbs.

Grow Light Setup

When it comes to creating a grow light system from Christmas lights, your options are limited only by your imagination. To create a protected place for seedlings and small plants to grow, drill holes in the lid of a plastic storage container and insert one light into each hole. If necessary, glue the lights into place or drill the holes small enough that the lights are secure once you pop them into place. Then use the container as a grow box. Alternatively, insert the lights in the holes of a piece of pegboard and affix the pegboard next to or above your indoor garden.

About the Author

Amie Taylor has been a writer since 2000. Book reviews, gardening and outdoor lawn equipment repair articles and short fiction account for a handful of her published works. Taylor gained her gardening and outdoor equipment repair experience from working in the landscaping and lawn-care business she and her husband own and operate.